*** As you all know, Sooners DL coach/Co-DC Todd Bates is on the road recruiting. He will be out seeing all of his top targets and commits in the 2024 class, and obviously 2025 and 2026 targets as well over the next few weeks.
A name that I wouldn't be shocked to see/hear that Bates makes a stop by and an in-home with this week is 2024 four-star DL Dominick McKinley. Obviously, McKinley is committed to the Texas A&M Aggies, but with their head coaching change and McKinley's lead recruiter Elijah Robinson taking the Syracuse DC/DL coaching job on Sunday, there seems to be huge crack in the door for Bates and the Sooners to try and get through.
Sources I speak with feel this will come down to how McKinley feels about the new A&M staff and new DL coach Sean Spencer, along with the Aggies being able to hold off the Sooners, Horns(if they decide to push) and Tigers down the stretch. Sources also feel that as things stand today, there is some strong OU and Texas buzz (more Texas in a bit as it’s conflicting). More so than in-state LSU, but I will never count them out due to location. Would just be naive to do so.
As just noted, the Tigers are the team with the location advantage, but the relationship that Todd Bates has with McKinley and his family is top notch and still the strongest of the three. That relationship has been there still with a source saying there was contact with people in McKinley’s camp on Sunday evening. OUinsider can confirm that to be the case as well.
That said, there has been some fodder that Texas and their DL coach Bo Davis continued to be heavily in McKinley's ear during the 2023 season. Additionally, I am told that relationship had grown significantly. How that looks now, though, between UT and McKinley is something I’m trying to dig more on. One source tonight said it was OU and UT if things opened back up, but another wasn’t so sure UT would push hard.
There also is a NIL aspect to McKinley and his recruitment. That said, this part of the recruitment is one that I am hearing won't scare OU away, according to multiple sources. I continue to hear that OU will play the game as needed.
Obviously, with A&M and the news that E-Rob has left to coach the defense for the Orangemen being so fresh, there is going to be a bit of some "recouping" factor -- with McKinley and his family -- to see how they want to attack his recruitment moving forward. However, Brent Venables and Todd Bates are going to continue to swinging away, at the Rivals 250 defensive lineman, to see if there is a chance Oklahoma can pull off a Early National Signing Day surprise, while also knowing and understanding that there is quite a bit to go before that begins to even be discussed as a realistic possibility.
Nonetheless, I wanted to make sure you all were aware that communication is still strong and that OU should be stopping by there over the next week or so to see him at his school and potentially do an in-home.
All that is most definitely something to watch and something we are monitoring very closely. Parker and myself are also monitoring some more rumors regarding a few transfer portal DL that could be getting in over the next week to 10 day.
We also continue to hear that the next week could get pretty wild. And that's saying something with how things started on Sunday.
For now, it's just buzz, but we are watching a few players across the country so...
Stay tuned.
A name that I wouldn't be shocked to see/hear that Bates makes a stop by and an in-home with this week is 2024 four-star DL Dominick McKinley. Obviously, McKinley is committed to the Texas A&M Aggies, but with their head coaching change and McKinley's lead recruiter Elijah Robinson taking the Syracuse DC/DL coaching job on Sunday, there seems to be huge crack in the door for Bates and the Sooners to try and get through.
Sources I speak with feel this will come down to how McKinley feels about the new A&M staff and new DL coach Sean Spencer, along with the Aggies being able to hold off the Sooners, Horns(if they decide to push) and Tigers down the stretch. Sources also feel that as things stand today, there is some strong OU and Texas buzz (more Texas in a bit as it’s conflicting). More so than in-state LSU, but I will never count them out due to location. Would just be naive to do so.
As just noted, the Tigers are the team with the location advantage, but the relationship that Todd Bates has with McKinley and his family is top notch and still the strongest of the three. That relationship has been there still with a source saying there was contact with people in McKinley’s camp on Sunday evening. OUinsider can confirm that to be the case as well.
That said, there has been some fodder that Texas and their DL coach Bo Davis continued to be heavily in McKinley's ear during the 2023 season. Additionally, I am told that relationship had grown significantly. How that looks now, though, between UT and McKinley is something I’m trying to dig more on. One source tonight said it was OU and UT if things opened back up, but another wasn’t so sure UT would push hard.
There also is a NIL aspect to McKinley and his recruitment. That said, this part of the recruitment is one that I am hearing won't scare OU away, according to multiple sources. I continue to hear that OU will play the game as needed.
Obviously, with A&M and the news that E-Rob has left to coach the defense for the Orangemen being so fresh, there is going to be a bit of some "recouping" factor -- with McKinley and his family -- to see how they want to attack his recruitment moving forward. However, Brent Venables and Todd Bates are going to continue to swinging away, at the Rivals 250 defensive lineman, to see if there is a chance Oklahoma can pull off a Early National Signing Day surprise, while also knowing and understanding that there is quite a bit to go before that begins to even be discussed as a realistic possibility.
Nonetheless, I wanted to make sure you all were aware that communication is still strong and that OU should be stopping by there over the next week or so to see him at his school and potentially do an in-home.
All that is most definitely something to watch and something we are monitoring very closely. Parker and myself are also monitoring some more rumors regarding a few transfer portal DL that could be getting in over the next week to 10 day.
We also continue to hear that the next week could get pretty wild. And that's saying something with how things started on Sunday.
For now, it's just buzz, but we are watching a few players across the country so...
Stay tuned.
Last edited:
